ATI LPN
Introduction of Respiratory System NCLEX Questions PN Questions
Question 1 of 5
Small cell carcinoma
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Small cell carcinoma (SCLC) is always high grade (C), aggressive and undifferentiated. Choice A is false; it's third (20-25%), behind adenocarcinoma/SCC. Choice B is incorrect; it's central or peripheral. Choice D is wrong; it's strongly smoking-related. Choice E (hormone production) is true. Page 762 confirms C's malignancy rapid growth and early metastasis define SCLC, unlike A's prevalence or D's smoking denial.
Question 2 of 5
A client admitted from home is diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia. Which organism does the nurse suspect is the cause of this infection?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Pneumococcus (C), or Streptococcus pneumoniae, is the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults, accounting for 20-60% of cases per CDC guidelines. Escherichia coli (A) is a gram-negative rod linked to nosocomial or aspiration pneumonia, not typical CAP from home. Staphylococcus aureus (B) causes severe CAP, often post-viral (e.g., influenza), but is less frequent than Pneumococcus. Pneumocystis jiroveci (D) affects immunocompromised patients (e.g., HIV), not typical home-acquired cases. The document's answer (C) aligns with CAP epidemiology S. pneumoniae's polysaccharide capsule drives lobar consolidation, fever, and cough in healthy individuals, distinguishing it from A's hospital association or D's opportunistic nature.
Question 3 of 5
The nurse in the emergency department is caring for a client with a temperature of 39°C (102.5°F), productive cough, chills, shortness of breath, and malaise. Which diagnostic test should the nurse expect to prepare the client for? (Select all that apply.)
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Chest x-ray (A), sputum culture, and arterial blood gases (A, B, D) diagnose pneumonia per the document. X-ray (A) confirms consolidation (e.g., lobar opacity). Sputum (B) identifies pathogens (e.g., S. pneumoniae), ABGs (D) assess hypoxemia (PaOâ‚‚ <80 mmHg). Polysomnography (C) tests sleep apnea, not pneumonia. MRI is rare here. A's priority visualizing lung infiltrates drives diagnosis, distinguishing it as the key test.
Question 4 of 5
Which of the following statements is true about involuntary breathing?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Involuntary breathing is regulated by neurons in the medulla and pons, brain stem regions that set the respiratory rhythm. The medulla's dorsal respiratory group initiates inspiration, while the pons fine-tunes it, responding to CO2 levels via chemoreceptors, ensuring automatic breathing without conscious effort. Bronchioles adjust airflow but don't control rhythm. Pulmonary arterioles regulate blood flow, not breathing. The alveolar-capillary network facilitates gas exchange, not its initiation. This neural control, via the phrenic nerve to the diaphragm, underscores breathing's autonomic nature, vital for survival, distinguishing it from voluntary overrides like holding breath, a key concept in respiratory neuroscience.
Question 5 of 5
Which of these statements is true about internal respiration?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Internal respiration is the exchange of gases oxygen from blood to tissues, carbon dioxide from tissues to blood occurring at the cellular level via diffusion across capillaries. ATP production is cellular respiration's outcome, not the exchange itself. Alveolar-blood exchange is external respiration, not internal. Breathing from atmosphere to alveoli is ventilation, not respiration's tissue phase. This process sustains metabolism, delivering oxygen for energy and removing CO2 waste, distinct from lung-based external respiration, a vital concept in understanding systemic oxygen transport and tissue oxygenation in physiology.